The Beach
by Nameless.Nurd
Summary: Zutara one-shot. Set on Ember Island some years after the war. I, as usual, own nothing.


**A/N: Okay, this is unrelated to my other story. Maybe incorporate this into later work, but not now. A friend gave me the prompt of 'beach' when I got bored, and one hour later, there was _this_ trash. **

Waves rolled lazily to meet the sandy shore, their noise nearly nonexistent. The moon was nearly full tonight, giving everything a ghostly glow. But what Zuko was looking for looked ethereal in the light.

She had settled near the faintly glittering water when he found her, the surf teasing her toes. Despite what the war had done to her, to _both_ of them, she was as radiant as ever lounging on the white sand, a ghost of a smile on her face as she stared over the water.

As he continued to watch, he realized that the water itself had synced with her breathing by her raw power. Pushing and pulling. He had never really understood that, but now it never seemed clearer than ever. He wanted to watch her like this forever, but they didn't have much time on Ember Island. Just this weekend before going back to the monotonous duties as ruler of a nation.

"Do you want to go on a walk, my lady?" he asked, goofily holding out his own pale hand to the waterbender's brown one. He briefly let a flame waver in front of her face. He loved to see it reflect in her eyes. He put it back out, earning a suspicious glance.

"Sure thing, _Fire Lord_." She grasped his and he pulled her up with ease. He didn't let go as they walked along the coast. "So why did you pull me aside, m'lord?"

"Is it illegal here for a man to go on a walk with his wife?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"It is when I was relaxing," she grouched.

"Luckily for me, you love me," he countered. He pulled his arm, making her swing out, then again to bring her close.

"You're such a dork," she giggled into his chest. She hardly _truly_ smiled anymore, let alone _giggle_. Smiles through her teeth at the councilmen. At the adoring crowds. Even her family. The look on her face was one he rarely received. "You know, sometimes I miss the war," she continued, pulling herself away and just swinging his hand in hers.

" _Miss_ it?"

"I was free to travel the entire world with Aang, Sokka, Toph, you. No real responsibility other than keeping him from killing himself riding an animal. I could fight. I wasn't immediately recognized and flocked by people as the Fire Lady," she sighed.

"I do too. I may have been a traitor the the Fire Nation for joining 'Team Avatar', but it was the second best thing that happened to me."

"The first?" she inquired.

"Proposing to you."

She snorted. "It was hardly romantic."

"I tried!"

"We had _just_ sparred, argued, then you shout 'WILL YOU MARRY ME' while nearly melting the betrothal necklace."

"But, you said 'yes' five years ago, didn't you?"

"I got stuck with a corny romantic that could carve a decent necklace at seventeen," she sniffed.

"Funny, Sokka and your father said something similar when I told them I was going to ask you a few days before." He pause and adding: "After nearly choking to death."

"Ah, so you almost killed my family too," she concluded with a cocked brow.

"But I'm _yours,_ now" he said, pulling her to him just long enough to give her a quick peck on her forehead.

The exact same way he gave kissed Izumi.

He felt her tense, then pull away, her usual somber expression back. "I-I'm sorry, Zuko. I can't" she murmured. "I know it's been four years since _that_ , but…" The statement hung taut. It didn't need finishing. She stopped moving.

"Katara, for the thousandth time, it wasn't your fault," he tried to convince her yet again. He tried curling his fingers around hers again, but to no avail. She had wrapped her arms around herself, head ducked. She had stayed that way for months after…

"Everyday I wonder about how he would have been like. If I hadn't been stressing so much, he would have been born strong enough to make it past a few days," she said, voice cracking at the last bit.

"That was years ago. Please, Katara, I don't know how often I'll have to insist it wasn't you. I miss him too, but it was as much my fault, if not more." He put her chin in his hand and forced it up. For her watery blue stare to meet his. "I made you even more anxious on top of being gone so often. Please, Katara, the future is brighter _now._ "

She closed her eyes and finally leaned into him. Silently, he scooped her up into his arms and made his way to a building a ways off. He walked around the familiar halls until his feet found their chambers. He shouldered the doors open. Silently, he laid her down on her side of the bed.

As he turned to leave (just to grab something in the next room), he heard a familiar mewling cry. He made to go back, but Katara was there first. She reached into the crib next to their bed and pulled out Izumi, tangled in a thin blanket, holding her securely against her chest. Despite the tears running down her face, Katara gave her one of her genuine smiles and hummed softly. The girl cooed against her mother.

"You'd be missing this if you were stuck in the past," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around them. He gazed past Katara's shoulder to their princess. Her skin was dark, only a few shades lighter than Katara's, but had his golden eyes.

Izumi noticed her father behind her mother and reached a pudgy hand towards him. He gripped it softly between his fingertips. Within minutes, her breathing slowed and relaxed as she drifted into sleep again.

"You're right," Katara breathed.

"What happened happened. But we have Izumi to think about now. She's only months old. She needs to know her parents' untainted love. It's right to think of him, but not to let it drown out the future."

For the first time in a long time, Katara turned and gave _him_ a kiss. "I missed being able to do that."

 **A/N 2: I feel bad for putting them through this, but my mind wandered and wouldn't let go of this idea of their firstborn dying. I do feel truly awful for putting _fictional_ characters through this, least of all my A:TLA otp. Kill me over a review? Tell me how to improve?**


End file.
